5.30 3m. 5f. 201yds. 10 Declared. WellChild National Hunt Challenge Cup Amateur Jockeys' Novices' Chase (Grade 2) (GBB Race) (Class 1 ) of £125,000.00 5-y-o plus
1st - €60,388.00 2nd - €30,188.00 3rd - €15,112.00 4th - €7,550.00 5th - €3,775.00 6th - €1,875.00 7th - €950.00 8th - €475.00
Formscan - Gaillard Du Mesnil is likely to be a warm order for last year's winning combination of Willie and Patrick Mullins, as he proved his stamina for this trip when finishing third in the Irish Grand National last April. The gelding bolted up on his penultimate start at Leopardstown over 3m and it's hard to imagine he won't be involved in the finish. However, a chance can be taken on MAHLER MISSION, who won't mind if the conditions turn testing as he bolted up to brake his maiden over 3m when beating the reopposing Tenzing by 10 lengths. The seven-year-old followed that up by going down by just under a length to Churchstonewarrior. Therefore, this longer trip could unlock further improvement on only his fifth start over fences and he can lower the colours of the hot favourite. Mister Coffey is a solid contender and he wasn't beaten far into second in last year's Kim Muir.